Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement on a framework of indirect, U.S.-mediated talks over a longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries, the parties announced Thursday.
The talks will be held at the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura under the banner of the United Nations. In separate statements Thursday announcing the talks, the sides did not disclose when they would begin.
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Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement on a framework of indirect, U.S.-mediated talks over a longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries, the parties announced Thursday.
An Israeli official said last week that a deal had been reached, but there was no immediate Lebanese or U.S. confirmation at the time. The official said Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz will lead the Israeli delegation.
Indirect talks mean that Lebanese army negotiators will not be speaking directly to members of the Israeli delegation but through U.N. and U.S. officials.
He said the U.S. mediation stalled but it received a push in March last year during a visit to Beirut by Pompeo during which he discussed the dispute with Lebanese officials.
The agreement on the framework comes as Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. Beirut is hoping that oil and natural gas discoveries in its territorial waters will help it pay back its massive debt.
Three of Lebanon's 10 offshore blocks are along the disputed maritime border with Israel.
The agreement “will allow both countries to begin discussions, which have the potential to yield greater stability, security, and prosperity for Lebanese and Israeli citizens alike,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. He added that the agreement is the result of nearly three years of intense diplomatic engagement by U.S. officials.
The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Stefano Del Col from Italy, right, and Lebanese outgoing Defense Minister Zeina Akar, listen as Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, speaks during a news conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Berri announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached on a framework of indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries. (AP Photo Bilal Hussein)
An Israeli official said last week that a deal had been reached, but there was no immediate Lebanese or U.S. confirmation at the time. The official said Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz will lead the Israeli delegation.
“We are hoping to start direct negotiations in the near future. Our presumptive goal is to arrive at a peaceful resolution on the matter of the Exclusive Economic Zone bordering between Israel and Lebanon in a way that benefits both neighboring nations," Steinitz said in a statement.
Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war. They each claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea as within their own exclusive economic zones.
The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Stefano Del Col from Italy, right, listens as Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, speaks during a news conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Berri announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached on a framework of indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries. (AP Photo Bilal Hussein)
Indirect talks mean that Lebanese army negotiators will not be speaking directly to members of the Israeli delegation but through U.N. and U.S. officials.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as, UNIFIL, welcomed the agreement saying it stands ready "to extend to the parties all the support at its disposal and facilitate efforts towards a resolution of this issue."
The United States has been mediating between Lebanon and Israel since 2010 until a breakthrough was reached in July on the framework for the indirect talks, according to Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who announced the deal Thursday.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, speaks during a news conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Berri announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached on a framework of indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries. (AP PhotoBilal Hussein)
He said the U.S. mediation stalled but it received a push in March last year during a visit to Beirut by Pompeo during which he discussed the dispute with Lebanese officials.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun welcomed the agreement saying he hopes "that the American side will continue its role as a fair mediator.” Aoun said he will be closely supervising the talks starting with the formation of the team and throughout the negotiations.
Lebanon and Israel hold monthly tripartite indirect meetings in Naqoura to discuss violations along their border. The countries also held indirect negotiations in the 1990s when Arab states and Israel were working on reaching peace agreements. Although the Palestinians and Jordan signed agreements with Israel, Lebanon and Syria did not.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, left, the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Stefano Del Col from Italy, right, and Lebanese outgoing Defense Minister Zeina Akar, center, pose for a picture during a news conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Berri announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached on a framework of indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries. (AP Photo Bilal Hussein)
The agreement on the framework comes as Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. Beirut is hoping that oil and natural gas discoveries in its territorial waters will help it pay back its massive debt.
Lebanon began offshore drilling earlier this year and is expected to start drilling for gas in the disputed area with Israel before in the coming months.
Berri, the parliament speaker, said the gas discoveries on the Israeli side of the Mediterranean “prove that there are reserves and God willing this will help us pay our debt.” Lebanon has one of the highest debt ratios in the world standing at about 170% of its GDP.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, speaks during a news conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Berri announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached on a framework of indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries. (AP PhotoBilal Hussein)
Three of Lebanon's 10 offshore blocks are along the disputed maritime border with Israel.
The Trump administration is likely to celebrate the agreement as another diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East, following recent agreements in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — Gulf countries that have never gone to war with Israel — agreed to recognize it and establish diplomatic relations.
Israel invaded Lebanon twice during the country’s 1975-1990 civil war to battle Palestinian militants who had launched cross-border attacks, and it occupied a strip of territory in southern Lebanon until 2000.
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2019 file photo, Israel Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Cairo, Egypt. Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement on a framework of indirect, U.S.-mediated talks over a longstanding disputed maritime border between the two countries, the parties announced Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. The talks will be held at the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura under the banner of the United Nations. Steinitz will lead the Israeli delegation. (AP PhotoAmr Nabil, File)
In 2006, Israel and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group fought a 34-day to a draw and the border has been relatively calm since despite some minor skirmishes.